Alina: Light & Shadows

Chapter 22

The torches in the temple emitted a dim light that flickered among the living shadows, creating a palpable atmosphere of unease.

Kael and I stood before the Shadow King, my father.

I stared intensely at him, already knowing who he was, but my mind was tumultuous with the conflict tearing me apart.

“Finally, Alina,” said the Shadow King, his deep voice echoing in the hall. “You have found what you were looking for. But is it enough?”

But how? He had told me to find the flower, then suddenly I saw a smile at the corner of his mouth and understood everything. How could I have trusted him like this?

“You were banished from the Shadow Realm, weren’t you?” I began, his eyes cold.

“It didn’t go as you’ve always told. You didn’t leave to balance the worlds.”

The Shadow King, until that moment impassive, gave a bitter smile.

“You're smart, like your mother. Yes, Alina. I didn’t decide to leave. They exiled me because they discovered my true plan: to collaborate with Seline to pour the shadows into the realm of light. They feared my power... they feared what I could do with you at my side.”

“And the speech earlier? About preserving the balance and the future of the worlds?” I shouted, furious.

“They were all lies; I don’t preserve balance, and I’m not a wizard. I was surprised at myself; I didn’t think my acting skills were that good!”

“So the flower was a waste of time?” Kael asked.

“Bingo! I see you’re gradually getting there! It was just a way to buy some time,” he said with a mocking look.

Kael, standing next to me, stiffened. “This has been a deception from the start.”

I felt my heart constrict in my chest. “You used me... You knew I would come looking for you. You let me believe I could trust you.”

The King approached, the shadows around him seemed to follow him like a second skin.

“I only showed you the truth, Alina. The truth of your power. Seline isn’t the only one who wants it. I want it too, because together we can change everything. The world of light is weak; for too long it has dominated without balance. We can put an end to this.”

Kael stepped forward, placing himself between me and my father. “And you think forcing her to use her power for your plan is right? You can’t take her freedom like that.”

The Shadow King chuckled, a dark, cold sound. “Kael, you know how seductive shadows can be. You were once one of us; you felt the call of our power. There’s nothing more natural than accepting the destiny we’ve been given.”

I saw Kael stiffen, the past he tried to bury coming back to the surface.

“I left the shadows because I saw what they do. They destroy the soul, consume everything you are. I won’t let that happen to Alina.”

Still caught between anger and pain, I stared at my father.

“So this is your plan? To use me to take control of the light? To pretend to be my father just to obtain my power?”

The Shadow King came closer, the shadows danced around him.

“I never hid who I was. I’ve always been honest with you. It’s your mother who took you away from me, who hid your true nature from you. I want you to embrace who you really are. Together we can do great things.”

I felt my heart shrink, becoming smaller. “My mother protected me. She saved me from you.”

“Saved?”

The King laughed bitterly. “She denied you your destiny. She kept you away from your true power. And now you see with your own eyes how fragile the realm of light is without the balance you can bring.”

Kael tightened his grip on his sword in anger. “She won’t listen to you. Alina has her own path, her own will.”

At that moment, I found myself faced with a choice.

The magical flower I had gathered was not enough; it was now clear. I needed something more to face Seline.

“And what must I sacrifice for this? What must I lose to fulfill your plan?” I replied in a cold voice.

The King stopped, his smile becoming thinner.

“Your light.”

“My light?”

“Yes. The part of you that belongs to the realm of light. After all, you’re also your mother’s daughter. Only by fully embracing the darkness can you gain control of your true power and open the passage.”

A thick silence fell in the hall. Kael, until then silent, spoke in a grave voice. “You can’t do this, Alina. He wants to transform you. Your light is what makes you different, what makes you strong.”

I found myself trapped between truth and deception, between the family I had never known and my identity.

“And Seline?” I asked, my breath breaking.

“Seline and I have always worked together. She doesn’t reside in the shadows like everyone thinks. She’s real and needs your power to open the portal, but she can’t do it without me. I am the only one who can control the shadows without being consumed by them. Your light is what prevents me from doing so.”

I felt my anger rise inside me.

“So all this, everything you’ve said... was just to break who I really am.”

The Shadow King nodded once more. “It’s the only way, Alina. But you can still choose. You can embrace your destiny and join me... or fight me, knowing that without me, Seline will find a way to get what she wants. And there will be no one to stop her.”

I closed my eyes, trying to control the chaos that reigned inside me.

The choice before me was terrible.

To renounce a part of myself, or risk everything to seek a third way that perhaps didn’t exist.

But one thing was clear: I couldn’t trust my father.

When I opened my eyes again, my gaze was resolute. “I won’t choose between you two. There’s another way. I will find it.”

Kael placed a hand on my shoulder, a silent gesture of support. “You’re not alone in this, Alina.”

The King stared at me for a long moment, then stepped back, his gaze cold.

“Do as you wish. But know that time is running out. And when it’s too late, you’ll understand that you never really had a choice.”

With one last glance, the shadows moved around him, enveloping him until he disappeared into the darkness of the temple.

I stood still, my heart heavy. I had just confronted the truth about my blood, about the father I had never known. But the battle was not over yet.

Now I knew that Seline and the Shadow King were allies, and both wanted my power.

But I would never yield.

Not without a fight.